Prayers
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: As Ruby lay baffled on her backside after falling over Weiss's luggage, a spark of clarity lit in her mind. Weiss Schnee. The heiress of the famous company. The girl who had been supposed to die six years ago. [[Happy RWBY Tuesday!]]


**I finally put together an idea I've had for a while now. Wrote it a few months ago and now it's time to share it!**

**A/N: This was written before the canon revelation of Ruby and Yang's family relationships, and also before the revelation of Winter's character. So there is no mention of her or Tai, only Qrow. I know Ruby and Yang lived with their father, not their uncle, but I'm not changing the story now.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Prayers

Summer's eyes were blue.

Blue like the tranquil winter sky on a clear morning when she had taken Ruby out in the snow to play before the rest of the world had woken up.

Blue like the clear waters of faraway places she would tell Ruby about in the springtime, promising to take the girl with her on her journeys when the years had seen her a bit older.

Blue like the ice pops she shared with Ruby on the hot, sweltering days of her namesake season.

All of those blues led to one common result, and that was Ruby's smile.

She loved her mother more than anything, was loved and treasured by her tenfold in return. Summer was her protector, her best friend, her everything.

And one day - if she needed to - Ruby wanted to be the one to help her, too.

Every night when Summer came home from a hunt, she picked her daughter up and twirled her around joyously. Ruby loved it best when her mother's red cape would flap before her eyes, when the rose petals would fly up and flutter around. It smelled really nice, and Summer was always really warm.

And every night, Summer would change Ruby's clothes, take her to her room, and set her down gently onto her bed, cloaked in gentle candlelight.

On calm, melancholy nights, she would read Ruby a story, tickle her sometimes, comply whenever she asked for another book to be read to her.

On stormy, unsteady nights, she would sing to her, comb through her hair, keep her warm until she felt better, safer.

But every night regardless, Summer always pressed a kiss to Ruby's forehead and murmured, "I'll see you in the morning, honey," before she left the room.

And every night, once she had gone, Ruby would clap her hands together and recite the prayer Summer had once read to her in a book:

"Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the gods my soul to keep. And if a bad girl I have been, then please, dear gods, forgive my sins."

She was far too young to know of religion or anything of the sort; she just thought it was a nice thing to say. It made her feel safe in knowing she could be forgiven if she asked.

But one night, when she was only six, the night was quiet and Ruby was exhausted from a long day of travel with her mother.

Summer brought Ruby into her room and laid her down, but noticed her young daughter was already asleep. Not wanting to wake her, she merely kissed her forehead, neglecting to say her promise of seeing her again the next morning.

Likewise, Ruby did not say her prayer that night.

And the next morning, and every morning after that, she woke up alone.

Even when Yang was there with her, Summer was not.

Never again.

* * *

Weiss' eyes were grey.

Grey like the desolate wastelands of broken, dilapidated buildings and sagging trees left behind in wake of a deadly storm that had left the world to mourn.

Grey like lonely headstones that had been promised the visits of loved ones, then abandoned, never been touched by a kind hand of any sort.

Grey like the ashen remains of old bones, dusty and withered – lifeless.

She almost never smiled.

Such a young girl should be energized for new experiences, excited for every day, eager for future challenges.

But not Weiss.

Whatever she was faced with, she would force herself through it to the point of exhaustion, always giving her best effort. But even the simplest of tasks put a great strain on her weak heart and fragile body.

She had wanted to be a Huntress since a young age, wanted to fight to defend the innocent and hopefully run the family business and make her father proud.

But with the body she was born with, that dream was impossible for her.

Even with the money her father spent on her medical treatment monthly, the doctors had long ago surmised she would not live past her eighth year.

And it was exactly that year when the fateful night occurred.

Normally before bed, Weiss sat with her back as straight as her poor health could allow and clapped her hands before her chest. Even when she was too young to speak, her father would recite the prayer in her stead, but once she had been blessed with the ability of speech, she had made sure to say it every night afterward.

The prayer was a sad one, but she needed to say it:

"Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the gods my soul to keep. And if I die before I wake, I pray the gods, my soul to take."

And every night after she had said it, she felt she could wake again the next morning.

But in her eighth year, it happened.

Weiss had been getting ready for bed, her father had kissed her forehead goodnight with great care, just as he always treated her before he left her room. The concern and fear was prominent in his eyes, and Weiss knew that he was expecting something awful to happen to her before very much longer.

Evidently, he had not anticipated it would be so soon, or he never would have left her side.

She had taken a tumble down the stairs that evening, and her father had wanted to take her to the hospital. But Weiss could tell he was stressed and tired, therefore she assured him in earnest that she was fine and the visit could wait until tomorrow.

She was glad when he left her room to get some much-needed sleep in his own.

But she knew there was something wrong inside of her. She had been suffering intense pain ever since the fall, but it was so much worse now as she lay in bed, curled on her side.

She clutched at her chest that throbbed with every desperate beat of her meekly fluttering heart, sending shockwaves throughout her tiny body. Strangled gasps fought their way out of her lungs and past her pale lips as she cringed, succumbing to her silent screams of agony and wails for help that no one would hear.

And it was only when she was in too much pain to move her shaking hands together when she realized she had not said her nightly prayer that evening.

This was her punishment for being forgetful.

She did not even have the strength to apologize before she felt her mind slipping, the dull ache that filled her body taking over.

Her conscious faded, and deep within herself, Weiss knew it would not be coming back.

* * *

Summer had always told her she would never leave her alone.

That whatever happened to herself, she would always be with Ruby, even if the girl could not see her.

But it was hard for Ruby to believe her the next morning when she woke to an empty house. She was cold and scared and did not know what to do. She felt weightless and numb, disbelieving, her entire world changed beyond comprehension. Something was missing.

She could not find Summer anywhere.

When a knock came on the door suddenly, she jumped up and ran to it, crying out her mother's name.

But it was not Summer who stood there before her. It was her Uncle Qrow, and with a sad smile he had scooped Ruby up into his arms and told her she would be living with him from now on, together with Yang.

Ruby loved them both dearly, and she knew they would take care of her.

But she would always miss Summer.

When her Uncle was cleaning out her house and gathering Ruby's things to take with them that morning, he found Summer's cloak had been left behind – purposefully or on accident, he could not be certain.

But he took it with him and let Ruby have it, so she could keep her mother's scent wrapped around her protectively at all times. Every night, she curled up with it in the top bunk bed, and for the first week, he knew she cried herself to sleep, even when Yang climbed up to hold her.

But in time, the wounds slowly began to heal, though it would not be until years later when the questions would finally be answered.

* * *

Summer had no regrets when she died.

She was well-aware that it would be soon, so when it had come about that night, she accepted it with open arms.

She knew Ruby was in good hands. If she had to say she had any regrets, it would be not having kissed her again that night.

However, there were others who would take care of her daughter now, and people who would do so in the future.

But she needed to hurry.

Light as her spirit was now, celestial and without the weight of her body, Summer was unsure of where to go. With her daughter as the only thought in her mind and in her heart, she let the forces of the universe guide her to where she needed to be.

She was led slowly, drifting like a white breeze in the night until she came across a mansion.

She could hear the cries of pain that no mortal could.

And as effortlessly as the wind, she slipped inside.

* * *

Weiss never thought she would wake again.

But just before she lost her sense of self entirely, something caused her to open her colorless eyes once more.

There was a white mist shrouding her room, but it was not frigid. In fact, it was surprisingly warm.

And she was not scared.

The pain she had been feeling until now had dulled everything else, including her sense of fear.

And yet, even if she could experience fear at that moment, she did not think it would happen. This was not a threatening presence. In fact, she almost felt... safe, like nothing could hurt her anymore.

Perhaps this was her angel come to take her away at long last.

Weiss would have liked to say goodbye to her father and sister first, but she felt she was ready.

But it seemed she was not being taken after all.

The mist danced around her bed almost happily, as though it was glad to have found her.

In her deteriorating state of life, as she inched closer toward death with each passing second, Weiss could feel things no one else could feel. And she knew it wanted to help her somehow.

It reached out to her, and she closed her eyes, feeling a slight prickling over her left one. A light pink scar appeared there, but unlike the rest of her life up until this point, that moment was entirely painless.

A small portion of the mist flowed into her from that scar, channeling through her body, passing over her heart and making it stronger with every beat. It trickled down to her core, and danced with her soul.

And the pain was gone.

When Weiss next reopened her eyes, the mist was fading, being carried out the window into the still night, dissipating among the stars.

With its gift of a new life unto her, there was but one message in her heart it had left behind:

_Take care of her..._

Weiss would not know what it meant for a few years yet, but it was an unspeakable joy to her that she would get to _live_ those years, and more to come.

* * *

When it came time for Ruby to follow Yang to Beacon, she had never expected to see the people she encountered.

The girl with snow-white hair she bumped into on her first day seemed somewhat familiar, but she did not realize why until another girl with flowing onyx tresses and golden eyes introduced her as Weiss Schnee.

As Ruby lay baffled on her backside after falling over Weiss' luggage, a spark of clarity lit in her mind.

Weiss Schnee.

The heiress of the famous company.

The girl who had been supposed to die six years ago.

The news of it was quiet, and Ruby had only heard bits of it from the local townspeople on her morning errands with Yang.

When she was young, Weiss had always been weak physically, and no one had expected her to live to her teenage years. But one morning, her father had gone into her room to rouse her, and she had sat up in bed all on her own, smiling and florid and full of an energy she had never possessed before. The scar that had appeared on her cheek had concerned him, but he had accepted it as a blessing of some sort.

And her eyes...

The eyes that had once been a colorless grey were - from that morning on - a lively, vibrant blue.

From then on, she could run and laugh and play like any other healthy child her age. She could sing without coughing, hold a rapier as firmly as any expert, control her aura and semblance with more skill than most.

Apparently, her father had never asked questions, and had just accepted the miracle with gratitude.

Ruby was a bit baffled that such a girl was standing before her, a girl that was supposed to no longer be of this world. But Weiss had trained long and hard to get this far, and that much was clear.

At the time, however, Ruby was too nervous to make eye contact as she stood and apologized to the girl, her own eyes flashing around to anywhere but Weiss'.

Even that evening when Weiss scolded her for being too loud when people were trying to sleep, Ruby did not get a chance to see her eyes clearly before Blake blew out the candle.

Only when their initiation began did things start to unravel.

When Ruby skidded to a hasty halt several feet away from the heiress in the forest, it was the first time she truly saw her eyes, eyes that were a pretty blue like the clear sky.

And it was in that brief instant that Weiss realized Ruby's eyes were silver.

It reminded her of the grey eyes she herself had been born with, and it brought up painful memories of her past ailments and suffering.

That was why Weiss turned away from her and walked off.

But it was not simply the fact that having Ruby as her partner would be the lesser of two evils that Weiss went back to her.

She felt this naive girl would _need_ her somehow, so Weiss went back and took her along.

Not long afterward, when Ruby jumped into battle against the massive Death Stalker almost without thinking, Weiss was compelled with the unshakable urge to go after her.

She needed to _protect_ her.

And she did, saving her from an untimely death in the nick of time.

Even when they had their spats and squabbles, Weiss found she could never stay mad at Ruby, and Ruby knew Weiss only yelled at her because the heiress was worried about her.

The night Weiss brought her coffee and spoke so softly to her, telling her she had always wanted bunk beds, opening up the honest side of herself... it made Ruby realize just how important she was to the older girl.

But it was not until a while later - when they had fought alongside one another many, many times, when they had put their own lives on the line for the other's sake multiple times already - when things finally fell into place.

. . .

A long battle had just ended, their enemies defeated.

Once she had made sure her team was alright, Yang had sprawled herself out onto her back in a starfish shape as she panted for breath. Blake knelt beside her, healing her wounds with her aura as she scolded her partner lightly for having been excessively reckless during the fray.

Ruby was crouched on the ground, Crescent Rose having been torn from her grip as the final enemy had charged her. But even though Weiss had been fighting three others on her own, she had finished them all off impossibly quickly in order to throw herself in front of Ruby and put an end to her partner's attacker.

Presently, Weiss stood a bit shakily, using Myrtenaster as a crutch as she caught her breath and slowly turned back to glimpse her partner.

"Weiss..." Ruby choked. "Oh god, are you okay? Y-You could've been hurt really badly-" She pressed a hand to her mouth, unable to bear the thoughts that threatened to take form.

The heiress limped over to her, slowly but surely, a small smile on her lips.

"I'm fine, Ruby. I just couldn't help it. I needed to protect you." She offered Ruby her hand, taking it gently, and pulled her steadily to her feet.

"You're _always_ protecting me," she sniffled. "I... I don't think I'd still be here if it weren't for you."

"And I _know_ I wouldn't still be here if not for you, Ruby."

They each spoke from the heart.

And in that moment, everything became clear, after so many years of fog.

Ruby realized _why_ Weiss' eyes always brought her such comfort as she got lost in them now.

_Blue_ like all the things that had made her smile as a child.

The night Weiss had been meant to die, but never did. How her eyes had been granted a new color, her body a new life...

And Weiss realized how Ruby's silver eyes were like her own had once been, only with more light.

She knew why she needed to take care of this girl and protect her against all odds.

Without a word, Weiss opened her arms to the girl, and without a word, Ruby threw herself into the embrace.

"Weiss...?"

It was almost a question, as though she could not believe all of this was real.

Weiss... might have died years ago.

Ruby never would have... met her, or gotten to study together with her, or gotten to be her partner, or gotten hold her like this...

"Ruby..." the heiress murmured. "I'm here."

She breathed Ruby in, knowing what she had known all along; that this was the girl she was meant to take care of. This girl in her arms was the reason her eyes had been granted such a lovely color many years ago on that night. This girl was the reason she was still alive.

_Summer..._

The word was only a thought, but it was shared between them silently, like a breeze only they could hear and feel.

Weiss was scared for a moment, scared that she was merely a reincarnation of her, scared that this life was simply borrowed time and not her own.

And Ruby was scared. Scared that once the truth was realized that Weiss' heart might stop beating as she held her this moment. She squeezed her tighter, praying to not let that happen, and she felt Weiss squeezing her back in desperation.

But nothing like that ever happened.

Ruby was beyond relieved, sighing as she nuzzled into Weiss' collar, feeling her breathe.

But Weiss was still nervous. She started shaking, burying her face in Ruby's hair, a small gasp escaping her lips. Ruby grew worried and gently held her closer.

"Weiss...?" she whispered, tentative. "What's wrong?"

She could tell her partner was crying now.

Weiss shook her head, signifying she could not explain the feelings that overcame her then.

"I... I don't know... I can't be her... I want to protect you, but... I don't want to be her..."

Ruby felt she understood her partner's fears.

"Hey, it's okay," she soothed. "My mom's gone, and I came to terms with that a long time ago. I just... never knew what happened for sure... until now..." She held tighter to Weiss, needing to feel the security of her embrace, the surety of her heartbeat. "Weiss, you... you could've died, too. But my mom knew I'd meet you and she wanted you to live so I could be with you. I wouldn't be here right now if not for you.

"She gave a part of herself to you, but not all of it. She just gave you the strength you needed so you could meet me and be with me. But... I'm gonna keep needing you for the rest of my life, so... so you won't leave me too, r-right...?"

Weiss heard the tremor in her voice as Ruby continued in a soft whimper. "You're not her. I don't want you to be her. You're Weiss. Y-You're my best friend and partner and teammate and I love you for _you_. And I want you to keep being with me for a long, long time..."

Weiss never knew until that moment how badly she had longed for Ruby to say that she loved her. She had always known it, but it was so, _so_ nice to hear it from the girl herself. The love Weiss harbored for Ruby as a friend and teammate was entirely different from the love Summer had for her.

And that knowledge coming to light seemed like it could finally let her mother rest in peace.

Weiss was reassured too, certain with all her heart that she _was_ her own person, that she loved Ruby by serendipity and not by obligation. And Ruby loved her, too.

"Me, too," Weiss murmured into her hair. "I love you, Ruby. And I'm not going to leave you, just like _she_ never left you. She guided us together and I'll always be thankful to her for that. But now it's my turn to take care of you. You're my best friend, too. And I'll always be with you."

She felt Ruby tense, and the younger girl lifted her head, tears dripping slowly down her face.

"But... B-But th-that's what my mom said, too. Sh-She said she'd always be with me even if I can't see her, b-but I... But I..." She shook her head to dislodge the tears without needing to let go of Weiss. "I know you'll always be with me like she is, but... Weiss, I don't want that to happen to you, too. I don't want you to leave me and still be with me invisibly like she is. I want you to be _here_. I wanna be able to h-hold you and hug you and laugh with you and play with you. I wanna be able to see your smile and hear your voice and feel your heart when you hug me. I don't want you to leave me..."

Weiss inhaled shakily, knowing she could not just say lies to make Ruby feel better.

And yet, she felt she could say this, and mean it with all her heart.

"I won't leave you," she declared softly. "_I won't,_ Ruby. Not for a long time, and even when that time comes, I know you'll be with me all the while. And I can _promise_ you that."

And Ruby believed those words with all her heart in return.

"Thank you, Weiss. _Thank you_..."

The white mist that had floated around them slowly faded, rising up into the sky to dissipate, bearing witness to their promises and ensuring they would be the truth.

And then it was gone, vanished quietly, leaving the two girls who had been fated to one another in a gentle warmth that never seemed to disappear.

* * *

**A/N: This idea had been with me for months, but hearing a certain song gave me that final bit of motivation I needed to write it out at last.  
**

**Please review!**


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